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Broncos GM Offers Rationale for Massive Russell Wilson Trade Fail
George Paton was the triggerman behind the shot the Denver Broncos took on Russell Wilson, which widely missed the mark.
When the Denver Broncos acquired former Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl quarterback Russell Wilson via trade from the Seattle Seahawks, a return to postseason contention and the plausible pursuit of a fourth Lombardi Trophy was supposed to be on the horizon.
But no one could’ve predicted the disastrous and embarrassing ride that was Wilson’s brief two-year stint as the Broncos' starting QB. The former league leader in passing touchdowns (2017) and passer rating (2015) comprised a pitiful 11-19 record in Denver, throwing 42 touchdowns to 19 interceptions, and took a whopping 100 sacks, which also came with 16 fumbles.
The Wilson era in Broncos history is recognized as an unmitigated disaster the likes of which Denver had never witnessed despite its constant carousel of flunked quarterbacks in the post-Peyton Manning era — from failed journeymen to busted premium draft picks.
As the triggerman behind the Wilson trade, Broncos GM George Paton has taken the botched trade on the chin. Paton shared his rationale for making the trade while in attendance at the NFL's annual owners meetings in Orlando, FL.
"We took a shot on a quarterback who’s had a lot of success in this league," Paton said via 9NEWS’ Mike Klis on Monday. "Nine Pro Bowls, won the most the first 10 years in this league. It wasn’t just Russ. There’s a lot of contributing factors as to why we didn’t win. At the end of the day, we didn’t play good enough offense. We didn’t win enough games. I’m accountable for that. No one tried harder than Russ to make this work. Appreciate his effort, the professionalism he showed. Total pro. Wish him the best in Pittsburgh, he’s going to a good team.”
Paton was hired as GM by former Broncos president of football operations John Elway following a brutal 2020 campaign. Paton brought an extensive resume to Denver, spending many years in the Minnesota Vikings front office and scouting department.
Paton, who's still a respected talent evaluator, can take credit for drafting key Broncos like Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Surtain II, running back Javonte Williams, right guard Quinn Meinerz, rush linebackers Baron Browning, Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto, and safety Caden Sterns, among others.
However, the lion’s share of Paton’s criticism comes from his expensive and failed free-agent signings, including rush linebacker Randy Gregory, cornerback Ronald Darby, running back Melvin Gordon, offensive lineman Billy Turner, and the mother of all poor decisions: extending Wilson’s contract before his first regular-season snap in Denver.
After releasing Wilson ahead of the new league year, the Broncos became responsible for the $37.8 million guaranteed portion of his 2024 salary. In turn, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed the 35-year-old veteran to a team-friendly, $1.2M veteran minimum contract. Russ has been unofficially anointed the starter after the Steelers acquired former Chicago Bears first-round pick Justin Fields, who will also compete for first-team reps in training camp.
Meanwhile, experts and draft gurus continue to mock first-round QB prospects, like Michigan's J.J. McCarthy, LSU's Jayden Daniels, UNC's Drake Maye, and Oregon's Bo Nix, to Denver with the draft just around the corner in April. But as it stands, Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci comprise the entirety of the Broncos current QB room.
"We like the group, I think it's seven deep, six, seven deep,” Paton said via Klis. "It's been fun scouting them. It's ongoing. We're still going to some Pro Days this week, and we'll get in our meetings Monday. But it's a fun group to evaluate. All different strengths and weaknesses, but it is a talented group."
I expect the Broncos to ultimately trade up in the draft to select a franchise QB, so it behooves the organization to know who’s the boss and who's calling the shots. In other words, the fiery and bold head coach Sean Payton gets to handpick his guy.
"It starts with the head coach, and we have the right head coach, Sean Payton," Paton said on Monday. "You could see that last year. We were a team that was 1-5, and everyone gave up on us, and yet this team stood together. We got back in the mix; we were relevant in December and that's a credit to Sean and his coaching staff.''
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